Options
by RoguesKnight
Summary: Scott and Kitty have a talk.


Options Author: RoguesKnight  
  
Disclaimer: Scott, Kitty, and anyone else's name or likeness contained herein are not mine. They are the property of Marvel, the WB, the creators of X-Men Evolution, etc. I'm just borrowing them to get this story out of my head so the characters will leave me in peace. I promise I'll return them none the worse for wear...or try to anyway, but the important thing is I will return them, so please don't sue. Oh yes, the Hardy Boys are the property of Franklin W. Dixon. Cosmo is not my property either  
  
Author's Note: Yes, I'm still working on The More Things Change. This just popped into my head at work last night and I thought I'd put it down. Fair warning, this is a Scott/Kitty pairing, if you don't like it, please don't go on. Save yourself time and frustration. Yes, I'm much more a Scott/Rogue person but for some reason Kitty's comment about Scott being cute during "Rogue Recruit" has been bouncing around in my brain.  
  
Dedication: To my wonderful fiancée who is off in the middle of nowhere for a couple months and has absolutely no idea that this is even dedicated to her. Ah! The freedom of summer mischief. Also to my reviewers, I love you guys! And finally to anyone who's ever ended up with someone who took them completely by surprise.  
  
And three paragraphs later we get down to business..............   
  
It was a beautiful summer's day in mid-June in Bayville; the sun was shining, the birds were singing, and for once, the mansion was almost completely silent. Of course that last probably had something to do with Logan hauling all of the new students off to the middle of nowhere to engage in survival training. Fortunately for them, he had a chaperone of his own, Storm had decided to tag along, largely I suspected to make sure that all of the new students came back in one piece. Professor Xavier and Dr. McCoy had gone off to Washington, D.C. to once again lobby congress to not pass the newly amended Mutant Registration Act. Every time it had come up before it failed to pass either the Senate or the House of Representatives for some reason or another but the continued failures hadn't kept bigoted lawmakers from trying a different angle and going at it again. Jean had decided to go with the Professor as well, something about wanting to get a feel for the life of a lobbyist. Somehow I couldn't see her spending long nights actually looking at something other than that dullard Duncan, but at the moment, I didn't care. The mansion was practically mine, and I was going to enjoy it.  
  
No new recruits running around meant I could let my hair down, so to speak, and not worry too much about keeping up my image of implacable leader. No, it was just going to be comfortable Scott day. Which is why I was wearing only a black ribbed tank top, I'd always hated the term "wife beater", and a faded pair of cut off jean shorts, and of course my oh-so- wonderful ruby quartz sunglasses. As if I had a choice. I quickly squashed the thought before I fell into a pit of self pity and pulled an old, leather bound book off the shelf in my room before heading downstairs to the kitchen in search of something that could be marginally called breakfast.  
  
Looking at what remained of the kitchen, however, made me doubt my chances of finding, well...anything. Dirty dishes lay along the counters and on the table, a sure sign that the Prof, Jean and Dr. McCoy had been up and out long before Logan had hauled the newbies off to god only knew where. I couldn't say for certain that Hank was a neat freak, but it drove Jean up the wall for people not to do their own dishes, and I had a feeling that the Professor wasn't a fan of messes either. He never said anything if in the rush for school dishes sometimes got left, but every now and then I could see a tiredness in his eyes, almost like he expected more from us. With a sigh, I set my book down on a clear spot of table and walked over to the sink, turning on the hot water and wondering if I really could ever just be comfy Scott and not worry about anyone else's approval.  
  
After forty-five minutes of scraping the remnants of scrambled eggs, sausage and lord only knows what off into the trashcan before doing the dishes, my appetite was sufficiently shot to hell. Fortunately there was some coffee left warming in the pot. I grabbed my "World's greatest boss" mug that Kurt had given me as a gag gift and poured some of the steaming dark liquid into it before grabbing my book and heading off to the study for some highly anticipated me time.  
  
I pulled the small, blue loveseat next to one of the large bay windows and stretched out, setting my coffee on the floor carefully and looked at the book on my lap. It was a leather bound first edition copy of the Hardy Boy's first case, signed by the author. It was also the last book my father had ever given me, a birthday present two weeks before that fateful plane trip. I remembered being mad that he wouldn't turn the car around on the way to the airport so I could go home and get my book for the plane ride. I had never been a very good flier, Alex had always been better, even asking dad to let him take the controls; which was why I made sure to master the simulator for the Blackbird, I had to get over a little fear if I was ever going to lead other people into battle. Looking at the well worn book, I was glad that dad hadn't given in to my childish pouting, I had this to remember him by as a result. It was my father who had shown me what it took to be not only a strong leader, but a strong man, making sure that his children would survive even if he and mom hadn't. As much as I looked up to Professor Xavier, there were times when I felt that I was doing what I had to not to make sure that humans see that we aren't all monsters, but to live up to the legacy left by my parents.  
  
I was halfway through the story when a sound drew my attention to the door to the study. Standing half in the room and half back in the hall, and looking nervous as hell was a vision. Her shoulder length brown hair gently framer her face, she was wearing only the faintest hint of lipstick, though I couldn't tell for sure what color it was, most of everything comes in shades of grey and black to me. It was the eyes, those large, beautifully expressive eyes that finally clued me in to who I was staring at however; Kitty. Granted, when most people talk about the hot girls who attend the Xavier Institute they're usually referring to Jean or Rogue, but Kitty had a beauty all her own. Behind that bubbly, valley girl façade she constantly showed the world was a deep, caring, and marvelous young woman. Ok, so I had the slightest bit of a crush on her. I realized I was staring like an idiot and prayed that my thoughts weren't as obvious to her as they felt.  
  
"Hey Kitty, "I said as casually as possible, setting the book beside my now cold and untouched coffee, "I almost didn't recognize you without your hair in a pony tail. Is there anything I can do for you?"  
  
"No, I was just....ah...looking for a quiet spot to read," she replied holding up an issue of Cosmo, her cheeks coloring slightly, though to me they seemed a shade darker red. I suddenly felt a bit self conscious as I realized the source of her blush was that she was staring at my chest.  
  
"Plenty of room here," I offered, swinging my legs off the loveseat and sitting up, "and plenty of sunlight too." She still seemed hesitant so I patted the cushion beside me invitingly, "come on Kitty, I won't bite if you won't" Her blush deepened, but she finally began walking over to me. I tried not to notice as she did, but I couldn't help but be taken in by her graceful glide. She had foregone her usual jeans for a short skirt, perhaps a dark blue, though it looked black to me, and was wearing a lighter colored top. Watching her approach I wished, and not for the first time, that I could still see in color other than red so I could truly appreciate her beauty. I wonder if she dressed nicely for me I smothered the thought before the implications even had time to register, after all if Alvers was any indication of what she looked for in a guy, then I definitely didn't fit the bill. Besides, Kitty had always had an eye for fashion, that she looked nice today probably didn't mean anything anyway.  
  
I picked my book back up and we settled into a companionable silence, absorbed in our respective reading material. Every so often I got the distinct feeling of being watched and shifted my eyes behind the dark red lenses of my glasses to catch Kitty staring at me as if she had something she wanted to discuss, then she'd bite her lower lip in the cutest way imaginable and bury herself back in her magazine. Finally I couldn't take it anymore. "Something on your mind?," I asked, setting the book down in my lap and turning slightly to face her.  
  
"No," she said a little too quickly, her cheeks flushing, " well...yes....maybe." She took a deep breath and let it out slowly, visibly trying to relax. I very rarely saw her this worked up over things, and the fact alone that she had to concentrate on relaxing bumped my concern level up several notches. However, if I live a thousand years, I'd have still never seen her next statement coming. "Scott," She turned to face me fully, tucking a leg under her and leaning back against the arm of the loveseat, "I was thinking...well hoping...you could give me some advice about boys."  
  
Color me stunned. "Ummm, isn't that why you read things like that?" I gestured helplessly towards the Cosmo in her hands with "How to blow his mind in bed" on the cover in big, bold letters. Of all the things to be asked for advice on, why boys? Why couldn't it be something easier to deal with, like....cars...or the proliferation of nuclear arms? Things I at least had a chance of explaining. Even as a guy myself, I didn't have a clue or answer for why we do ....well....damn near anything that we do.  
  
She shook her head sadly, her body language clearly saying that she didn't expect that I could help, and in that moment I knew that I'd do anything I could to see her more upbeat again. "This is just for fun....and maybe the occasional fashion tip." She looked at the cover of the magazine, "I won't go into detail but I get the feeling that some of the things they suggest doing to a guy is going to make him run like hell away from you, not give you his undying love" She turned those big blue eyes on me and I was putty in her hands, "Scott," she said softly, "Do you think I'm pretty?"  
  
It took all of my willpower not to blush as my mind worked overtime to find an answer that would A) not offend her and B) not let on how I felt about her. "Of course you're pretty Kitty," I groaned mentally at just how lame that sounded out loud, I should have gone with lovely or some other adjective that wouldn't make her think I was talking down to her. I decided to try again, "I mean, you're a lovely young woman that any guy would be lucky to have in his life." Especially me I added silently.  
  
"You're sweet Scott," she said, reaching out and resting a delicate hand on my knee, "But, you're also wrong. There have been like two guys total since I've been here to show any interest in me. Kurt and Lance. Neither one would have worked out, I mean Kurt's a sweet guy and I'm happy for him and Amanda, but he was just too ...well...Kurt for me" We shared a small smile.  
  
"And Alvers?" I asked, trying not to show my distaste for the young hood, "I mean he was willing to leave the Brotherhood just to be near you. Hell, he was willing to put up with me giving him shit for you. There aren't that many men who'd be willing to change their lives that drastically, even if only for a little while." Her eyes widened in surprise and I couldn't tell what had been more the cause, my use of profanity or my grudging respect for Alvers at least being willing to change.  
  
"A zebra can't change it's stripes," she said resignedly after a moment, moving her hand from my knee, "I mean, it was like totally sweet that he gave it a shot, but in the end it wouldn't have lasted, you know?" She looked down at her hands, interlaced in her lap, "Lance never had a good upbringing, never knew what it was like to just be accepted for who he was. There's a whole world out there now that is saying that they don't accept us in general. I can't really blame him for wanting to fight back sometimes and I had a loving family to grow up with, you know?" She stood, dropping the Cosmo to the floor and began pacing agitatedly, "Maybe the only guys to like me were Lance and Kurt because they knew that I was a freak just like them and couldn't do any better." Tears were freely flowing down her cheeks at this point, but she didn't seem to notice.  
  
I stood and blocked her path, grasping her shoulders firmly but gently, "Kitty, you're not a freak." I wiped a stray tear from her eye and guided her back to the loveseat, draping an arm over her shoulders, "And "normal" doesn't necessarily mean better, especially not when it comes to relationships. It's just different. I mean look at Kurt and Amanda, she's seen how he really looks and loves him more for it, and he loves her not only because she can deal with it but for who she is as a complete person. In contrast, think about Taryn, the minute she found out the real reason I keep my eyes covered, she lost all interest. It was the only time I've really been thankful for my abilities in a non-combat situation" She smiled a little at that. "Anyway, it may not be that the only people to be interested in you were Kurt and Alvers. Guys, human or mutant, can be pretty overwhelmed by a confident young woman like yourself. I'm not saying that you should be more subservient or anything like that just to attract a guy, but rather that it might just take a little more work to see the signs that someone's interested."  
  
She sniffed quietly, and blinked, mulling it over but it seemed that the tears had stopped. She snuggled back against my arm a bit, causing my heart to stop beating for a moment, before asking, "Ok so how am I supposed to know if a guy is interested in me if he isn't like being totally obvious about it? I mean, just look at the two I know have liked me, subtlety isn't exactly a strong point for either of them."  
  
I had to admit that she had a point. "Well," I said, "Guys hiding how they feel around you may try to seem more confident to hide their nervousness. Not to the point of showing off, but almost more like they don't care for you like that." Sort of like I do for example   
  
She groaned, "So you're telling me that I'm going to spend the rest of my life alone unless I fall for someone totally obviously into me? I mean if someone doesn't seem to like me in a more than friendly way I'm not going to waste my time trying to change their mind. Has anyone ever pointed out that acting totally aloof towards someone you have a crush on has got to be the dumbest plan ever?"  
  
I grinned, "Well you have to consider that it was a male mind that came up with that plan and you can see its flaws." I gave her shoulder a soft squeeze and was delighted to feel her lean more fully into my arm in response, "But no you won't spend forever alone. There are other signs. These guys just automatically assume you've put them into the friend zone so that's how they behave, but a lot of the time they're just hoping you'll notice them in a more than friends way so they can show you they care. They may put off doing things they enjoy, for example, just to hang out with you. Or they might make it a point to let you know that you can come to them for anything, even if it's just cause you need to rant about your day."  
  
She seemed to consider that for a moment, then turned to me skeptically, "So, every nice guy just is just waiting to go out with a girl? Do you guys even have a friend zone?" Kitty leaned her head back against my arm, and closed her eyes "So great, I either have to make the first move on a guy to show that I'm interested, or be paranoid that everyone is interested in me, these are my options? And here I thought the head games we played with guys were killer. I don't know, maybe I should just give up, become a nun or something"  
  
"Maybe I can give you another option," I said, gathering all my courage and hoping it would be enough to do what I had in mind. She raised her head off of my arm and looked at me quizzically. Before she had a chance to ask what I meant, I closed my eyes, leaned in and kissed her. It was only slightly more than a chaste kiss, enough to let her know that I was interested without scaring her off. Even if things were awkward between us later, those few moments of being pressed against her soft lips were more than worth it. Reluctantly I pulled back and saw her eyes were still closed and a smile spreading across her lips. There'd be time to discuss what had just happened later. I picked up my book and thoroughly cold coffee and quietly left the study, leaving Kitty alone to consider her options. 


End file.
